


Mindless... It was all mindless

by lokivsanubis



Series: Inktober 2019 [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Police, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Hydra (Marvel), I don't know what happened really... this just wrote itself, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Inktober 2019, M/M, Mentions death of a child, Mentions of Murder, Multi, Murder, Non-Graphic Violence, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Vigilante Steve Rogers, mentions mass shooting, very sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-25 21:48:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20919152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lokivsanubis/pseuds/lokivsanubis
Summary: "Thank you for the tragedy. I need it for my art." - Kurt CobainPrompt 2: MindlessSummary: Mindless violence does not go unpunished, even if it means going above the law and seeking justice yourself. Steve Rogers does just to get vengeance for the family that was wrongfully taken from him by the crime syndicate known as HYDRA.





	Mindless... It was all mindless

**Author's Note:**

> This is some sad stuff... 
> 
> Steve returns what seems like mindless violence with more violence. It's an out of character Steve Rogers Character Study. Written for the Mindless prompt for Inktober 2019.

"Thank you for the tragedy. I need it for my art." - Kurt Cobain

"Sometimes you look for deeper meaning into things. You try to decide if it was the colors, the phrases, the scenery. You attempt to pinpoint the lesson. You take the events apart and dissect it. Pull-on your surgical mask and sterile gloves of indifference, to try and see what went wrong. But Steve. Please listen to me." Natasha's words are slow and careful. "There was nothing anyone could have done." 

Steve blinked at her with dull blue eyes and cracked his knuckles. He shook his head and let out a breath. "That's not true." He places his hands against the edge of the table. "My family needed protection. They should have been provided for." 

"Based on the information we had, there was no threat Steve." Natasha tried to reason with him. "This killing... what you're doing is pointless." 

"I don't know what you're talking about," Steve replied leaning back in his chair and carefully looking up at the ceiling. He placed the heels of his hands into his eyes. "It's a shame. I didn't get my hands on that maniac myself." 

"I miss them too." Natasha began looking at him sadly. The images from that massacre in the park. The fact that someone had overlooked what was a threat against the former officer and his family. The coincidental miss loggings of reports of stalking. The apparent lack of care that screamed inside job. 

The fact Steve had been forced to bury everyone he loved. The fact someone who had grown up with such an astounding history of violence had become one of the most decorated officers on the force. Someone who until today Natasha would have never thought was capable of that level of violence. 

The memory of the man's head split open on the pavement his head smashed into the curbside came to the forefront of her mind. His head had been stomped in. 

There wasn't a speck of blood on Steve Rogers or any of his clothes. 

"Don't pity me," Steve said lowering his hands. His eyes were glistening with unshed tears. "Don't feel sorry for me." He looked past Natasha as the door to the interrogation room opened. 

"Detective Romanoff, former Detective Rogers." The man at the door said, "Federal Agents Hill and Rumlow are here to escort you." 

Steve stood up from his chair and gave Natasha a sad smile. "A hug for old times?" He offered though he was still handcuffed. 

Natasha nodded and let him embrace her. Despite what she had seen she knew he wouldn't hurt her. She was just as devastated as the others. 

Steve leaned against her ear, "The lesson in this, Natasha, is that mindless violence does not go unpunished." He whispered rubbing her back in a warm embrace, "They will all be dead before I leave this city. Not a piece of HYDRA scum will be left here." He warned before letting her go with a smile. "It was nice working with you Detective Romanoff." he turned to the two federal agents. 

All the hairs on the back of Natasha's neck stood on end. 

"This way." The female agent said leading him out of the office and towards the backdoors. The larger male agent was a few steps behind her keeping an easy distance. 

Over the next few months, there was a series of killings and slayings of HYDRA gang members so brutal even the police were being moved to action. The detectives always seemed two steps behind the person they were searching for. With each killing, the perp was becoming more and more efficient. 

At the year anniversary of the Central Park Massacre, Natasha attended with her new partner, Sam Wilson. The other officer had transferred in not long after Steve was taken into federal custody. Despite her best efforts, Natasha had been unable to locate Steve again even in the criminal databases. His files were all locked away as were most of the details about what had happened in the park that day. 

"It was mindless you know," Sam said coming to stand next to her eating a hotdog. "What happened here." 

"And what would you know of it?" Natasha asked knowing Sam had probably heard some things. But he would never know what this event had done to their department. 

How Barnes' desk still sat empty, his desk light on and unused. The betting pool for the gender of their expectant baby was still untouched, uncollected. The invitation to their son's third birthday still folded in her desk drawer. He'd never know what it was like sitting locked in the car with Steve. Having to watch him fall apart as the coroner's office arrived to begin detailing the scene. 

"A lot more than you think." He replied taking another bite of his hotdog. "This city's rampant crime problem seems to be on the mend." 

"HYDRA was the main problem. They made a habit of public executions amongst other things." Natasha replied shaking her head. 

The last HYDRA agent they found had been Helmut Zemo, the man had been found in pieces on the docks. He had been carefully dissected, each limb perfectly preserved and left in a trail to a shipping container. When the detectives got the container open they found Zemo's head along with thirteen other unrecognizable bodies in various stages of decomposition. Like all the other crime scenes this one was clean. No prints, DNA, foreign bodies. 

"There aren't too many big fish left," Sam said finishing his hotdog. "I think you should come by next Tuesday," he said wiping his hands on his pants. "

Natasha nodded her head. "I can make time." She offered. 

A week later she was cursing herself. She wasn't sure how she was going to make dinner at Sam's. She was swamped. There had been a huge break in the HYDRA case. 

The suspected head of HYDRA himself was found dead in his own home, belt wrapped around his neck and sealed in a door. The only difference between this scene and all the previous the obvious signs of play. There had been a chair just out of reach and footprints too large to be the Red Skulls. The perpetrator, Steve, she already know had watched him suffocate. The autopsy results showed it had been a long process or starts and stop before the man's neck was finally snapped and broken with great force. Most likely the official said from someone holding his head still and slamming the door closed. The inside of the home was littered with the fallen body of guards and the remaining key HYDRA members. 

Sam told her it was time to go home and waited for her outside of the locker room. The two-headed to his apartment. 

"I don't think I've ever told you." He said as they walked to the front door and he jingled with his keys. He paused with them at the door and instead knocked and rang the doorbell. "I don't live by myself." 

Natasha looked at him curiously. Why did it matter to her if Sam had a girlfriend or whatever? Before she could ask none other than Federal Agent Rumlow stood at the door. 

"Ah, you brought the Russian girl," he said quietly opening the door and letting them in. "You’re early." 

"I get home every day at 7:30." Sam teased kissing his boyfriend on the lips. "I want a beer, Romanoff would you like one? It's gonna be a long night." 

Natasha shook her head. "I'm alright. So what is this about?"

"The last person I need." A voice she had not heard in over a year said as a window opened. "The last person I need is a cop." Steve said coming inside and sitting down. His hair was longer, he'd grown a beard and he was wearing a completely black suit made from what looked like kevlar. 

"A cop?" Natasha asked trying not to act surprised. Her own snooping had told her as much so. She figured it was someone but the question was who? "If they're a cop, Steve, let me make the arrest." 

"Can't risk that," Steve replied cracking his neck. "I wanted to tell you that when it's all done. When all this mindless violence is concluded. I wanted to ask you a favor." 

"Steve, if you've done-" 

"Take this to the grave for me. When it's over I won't be able to stay in this city anymore." Steve sighed, "Do you know I still hear their voices? I can hear Tony calling me from just around the corner. Bucky singing Russian lullabies with Peter just behind my shitty apartment bedroom door. I won't be here much longer than the final deed." He tossed her a box. "Everything you need is there. Everything for a conviction." She caught the box and opened it. She found a thumb drive and a set of matching rings. 

She recognized the rings, they had been the engagement rings. The triad had only been officially together a few years before the incident in the park. 

"Steve it's my job. If you're going to kill someone-" She tried to persuade him. 

Steve shook his head." Sam will be a good partner for you." He waved her off. 

Before she could try to stop him he was gone again. 

Sam looked at her sadly. "It was the only way to get the streets clean. HYDRA's infection goes well into the shield we are sworn to uphold." He sighed. "Steve got too close without realizing it. He still doesn't want to believe Barnes was an enforcer." 

"If Barnes had been an enforcer, he wouldn't have died that day. Someone betrayed Barnes and sold him out. That's why they died. It was a complete inside job and once Steve realized it he reached out for help. Unfortunately, it wasn't in time." 

"I'm fairly sure that asshole won't live to see the end of the night," Sam said shaking his head. "Let's eat. I need to get drunk." On 

The next day the Police Commissioner Alexander Pierce was found murdered in his home with the words, "MINDLESS" written in his blood across his bedroom wall. 

Later that day Natasha submitted her evidence to Captain Fury and he reviewed it himself. Once he looked at the footage he broke the flash drive in half and placed in into his coffee cup. 

"Nothing happened Romanoff. Just leave it alone." He said quietly walking over to Barnes' old desk and finally turning off the light. "It wasn't worth it. Even if the streets are cleaner today. They'll just be bloody again tomorrow." he sighed before heading to the break room. 

Natasha stood in his office feeling absolutely defeated. What had been the point of this? Had there been any point at all? 

\--

End

**Author's Note:**

> What did you think? Sad right?


End file.
